Efficient Micropropagation of Chestnut Hybrids (Castanea spp.) Using Modified Woody Plant Medium and Zeatin Riboside

Abstract

The chestnuts genus (Castanea spp.) is comprised of economically important trees native to the Northern hemisphere that are used as food and hardwood timber. Here, a very efficient method for micropropagation of European × Japanese chestnut hybrids (Castanea sativa × C. crenata) is described. Woody Plant Medium was used as the basal medium. In vitro shoots of four rootstock cultivars were micropropagated without shoot-tip necrosis on multiplication medium containing 5.7 or 11.4 µmol·L−1 zeatin riboside, and were rooted on rooting medium containing 2.46 µmol·L−1 indolebutyric acid. Monthly shoot multiplication rates for each cultivar were 2–5 folds. In vitro rooting percentages for four cultivars were 87% for ‘Maraval’, 67% for ‘Marigoule’, 93% for ‘Marsol’, and 97% for ‘Précoce Migoule’. Within a 5 week period, 80%–95% of rooted shoots were successfully acclimated under high humidity conditions after they were planted in either soil or rockwool.

Keywords

• Castanea spp.
• micropropagation
• shoot multiplication
• rooting
• tissue culture
• zeatin riboside